Kalmah

Kalmah was a warlord of the League of Six KingdomsLeague of Six KingdomsThe League of Six Kingdoms was an alliance composed of various species, with ties to Xia and many other islands. Connected to both the Order of Mata Nui and the Brotherhood of Makuta, the League included Pridak among its ranks, and its members collectively held several powers of unknown scope. Its stated objective was the overthrow of Mata Nui., one of six BarrakiThe BarrakiSix warlords who built an empire spanning most of the Matoran Universe, fell to a Brotherhood strike, and spent millennia imprisoned in the Pit. who ruled an empire across the Matoran universe. He governed its northwestern region. After the Brotherhood of MakutaMakuta (Species)Shadowy Antidermis beings and the Brotherhood's elite, Makuta commanded darkness and shaped the Matoran Universe's fate. crushed the League, BotarBotarThe Order of Mata Nui's teleporting enforcer hunted universe-threatening dangers and locked them in the Pit until a Makuta's magnetic power stopped him cold. took him to the PitThe PitThe Order of Mata Nui's maximum-security underwater prison where the Barraki warlords were held until catastrophe broke their chains., and after the Great Cataclysm its mutagenMutagenPit Mutagen was a power-source energy that leaked into the waters of The Pit during the Great Cataclysm and mutated almost every being exposed to it. turned him into a water-breathing creature. Cold, cruel and good at hiding his feelings, he bred the vampiric sea squid the Barraki used as living ammunition. (The Mutran Chronicles; BIONICLE Legends 6: City of the Lost; BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated)

Rise within the League#

Kalmah didn't want to join the League at first. He had no wish to let others dictate what he did, but when TakadoxTakadoxA Barraki warlord whose hypnotic vision and cunning made him dangerous even in defeat. allied with PridakPridak: the most savage of the BarrakiPridak was the most savage of the six Barraki warlords and commanded an army of sharks. The League of Six Kingdoms ended with all six imprisoned in the Pit., Kalmah feared his empire would be cut off from the rest of the world and joined after all. (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated)

He ruled the League's northwestern region. He was at the meeting where the Barraki pressured the Brotherhood of Makuta into supplying them with beasts for war, and he noticed something odd in his lands: Blade Burrowers tunnelling in specific directions. He mapped their paths but never worked out what they meant. (The Mutran Chronicles)

Kalmah's dealings with the Makuta were poor. Feeling he showed the Brotherhood too little respect, Makuta MutranMutranMutran is a Makuta of the Brotherhood of Makuta who serves as the Makuta of Voya Nui and is among the most prolific Rahi creators within the organization. Hailing from the Southern Islands, he wears the Great Shelek and commands the powers of Shadow and Silence alongside the full range of Kraata abilities, wielding a Shadow Blade, Shadow Spear, and Tridax Pod in combat. only ever sent Rahi with lifespans of three days or less to his region, so his territory became littered with the bodies of dead creatures. (The Mutran Chronicles)

The fall of the League#

The League of Six KingdomsLeague of Six KingdomsThe League of Six Kingdoms was an alliance composed of various species, with ties to Xia and many other islands. Connected to both the Order of Mata Nui and the Brotherhood of Makuta, the League included Pridak among its ranks, and its members collectively held several powers of unknown scope. Its stated objective was the overthrow of Mata Nui. had grown strong enough to worry the Brotherhood of MakutaMakuta (Species)Shadowy Antidermis beings and the Brotherhood's elite, Makuta commanded darkness and shaped the Matoran Universe's fate.. The Brotherhood ambushed and defeated the Barraki, and TeridaxTeridaxTeridax orchestrated a thousand-year scheme that ended with him occupying the Great Spirit Robot itself before his death on Bara Magna. was about to execute them. (BIONICLE Legends 6: City of the Lost)

BotarBotarThe Order of Mata Nui's teleporting enforcer hunted universe-threatening dangers and locked them in the Pit until a Makuta's magnetic power stopped him cold. arrived moments before the executions and carried all six warlords off to the Pit. The League ended there, with its rulers locked away rather than killed. (BIONICLE Legends 6: City of the Lost)

Sentence, mutation, and the Pit#

The Barraki stayed in the PitThe PitThe Order of Mata Nui's maximum-security underwater prison where the Barraki warlords were held until catastrophe broke their chains. for many years. Their mutation came later: when the Great Cataclysm broke the prison open, they swam out into the open sea, and the mutagenMutagenPit Mutagen was a power-source energy that leaked into the waters of The Pit during the Great Cataclysm and mutated almost every being exposed to it. in the water turned them into water-breathing creatures. (BIONICLE Legends 6: City of the Lost)

Kalmah came away with a third eye, tentacles on the back of his head and a long tentacle on his left arm. In the Pit he found the sea squid, vampiric creatures that drain the life force from their victims, and bred them for the Barraki, keeping them half-starved so they were always ready to attack. In return for raising them and building the squid launcher, he was given more territory. He wanted still more and fought Pridak over it, and Pridak won, blinding Kalmah's middle eye. (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated; Kalmah)

Kalmah barred everyone from the chamber where the squid were bred after MantaxMantaxMutated Barraki warlord of the Pit who uncovered Takadox's Brotherhood collaboration through a hidden Tablet of Transit. ate half a brood. When the Mask of LifeThe Mask of Life (Kanohi Ignika), explainedA failsafe forged by the Great Beings to recharge a god. It curses everyone who touches it, and by the end of Bionicle it had learned how to be a hero. arrived in the waters around Mahri NuiMahri NuiA matoran settlement that sank, survived, and was ultimately crushed beneath Voya Nui, leaving behind one of Bionicle's most poignant lost civilizations., it was one of his sea squid that told him. (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated; BIONICLE Legends 6: City of the Lost)

The Mahri Nui arc#

While the Barraki searched for the IgnikaThe Mask of Life (Kanohi Ignika), explainedA failsafe forged by the Great Beings to recharge a god. It curses everyone who touches it, and by the end of Bionicle it had learned how to be a hero., Kalmah caught TakadoxTakadoxA Barraki warlord whose hypnotic vision and cunning made him dangerous even in defeat. spying on Mantax. The two followed Mantax into the ruins of the Pit, where they were trapped and attacked by ZyglakZyglakZyglak are a species of dark red, dark blue, and white creatures who are amphibious and wield spears and knives in combat. Formerly confined to the Pit, the Zyglak now inhabit Spherus Magna. until NocturnNocturnNocturn was an amphibious prisoner of the Pit who served as Ehlek's lieutenant and briefly held the Mask of Life before its recovery. turned up and attacked the Zyglak, freeing them by accident. (BIONICLE Ignition 7: Mask of Life, Mask of Doom; BIONICLE Ignition 8: Sea of Darkness)

Kalmah and Mantax chased DekarDekarDekar is a former Po-Matoran who serves as an Aqua Hunter on Spherus Magna. Colored yellow, black, and silver, he once wore a powerless Kiril and retains an inactive Stone element; his tools are Electro-Blades and an Air Launcher., who was carrying the mask, until the giant Venom Eel created by the Ignika knocked them out. When Brutaka later quarrelled with the warlords, Kalmah had one of his giant squid seize him and drag him into the Black Water. After the Toa Mahri arrived, Kalmah attacked HahliHahliA Ga-Matoran scholar who rose to become Chronicler of Mata Nui, then Toa Inika, then Toa Mahri of Water during the final crises of the Matoran Universe. when she insulted him and was left stunned, and he went along with Takadox's plan to hide the mask in the Razor Whale's Teeth. (BIONICLE Legends 6: City of the Lost; BIONICLE Legends 7: Prisoners of the Pit)

With CaraparCaraparOne of six Barraki warlords imprisoned for 80,000 years, Carapar sought the Mask of Life and became expendable muscle for a final, fatal mission., Kalmah caught JallerJallerJaller served as Captain of the Ta-Koro Guard, led the Toa Inika to Voya Nui, and commanded the Toa Mahri through the recovery of the Mask of Life. and KonguKonguKongu captained Le-Koro's Gukko Force before lightning from the red star turned him into a Toa of Air, who later served among the Toa Mahri. escaping, but an ancient sea beast woken by Kongu's mask drove them off. Later the two Barraki attacked the Toa with sea squid, and when the Toa broke free, the warlords struck a bargain with them: information in exchange for killing Pridak. (BIONICLE Ignition 9: Battle in the Deep!; BIONICLE Legends 7: Prisoners of the Pit)

When Teridax, in Maxilos's body, attacked the Barraki, Kalmah faked being beaten to give the armies time to gather, then joined the massed assault on him. The armies then chased the Toa Mahri. Kalmah felt the chill of Mata Nui's death and ignored it, and he was fleeing Jaller's coming Nova Blast when Matoro's last act sent the Mahri back to Metru Nui. With the Toa gone and Takadox exposed as a traitor, the Barraki split into their separate factions. (BIONICLE Ignition 10: The Death of Mata Nui; BIONICLE Ignition 11: Death of a Hero; BIONICLE Legends 8: Downfall)

Tentacles, squids, and an army of outcasts#

Kalmah had no elemental powers and wore no KanohiKanohiMasks that grant powers and sustain life, they're the most vital artifact in the Matoran Universe.. His weapons were his own body and the creatures he raised: a long tentacle on his left arm for grabbing and striking, and a squid launcher that fired living sea squid. (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated; Kalmah)

The squidSquidSquid is a being belonging to either the Yellow/Orange group or the Blue/Green group, and is equipped with tools of a golden amber hue. did the real damage. They latched onto a victim and drained the life force out of them, and Kalmah kept them hungry so they would attack on sight. He added clips to his armour so he could carry squid into a fight. (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated; BIONICLE Ignition 8: Sea of Darkness)

Beyond the sea squid, he commanded an army of giant squid. His cruelty towards the creatures he bred was a fair guide to how he treated everyone else. (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated)

Gaps in the record#

Kalmah's species and his appearance before the mutation are never described. The stories give his region, the northwestern part of the League's empire, but not what people he ruled there or how he first came to power. (The Mutran Chronicles; BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated)

Every BarrakiThe BarrakiSix warlords who built an empire spanning most of the Matoran Universe, fell to a Brotherhood strike, and spent millennia imprisoned in the Pit. had built a kingdom before the League of Six KingdomsLeague of Six KingdomsThe League of Six Kingdoms was an alliance composed of various species, with ties to Xia and many other islands. Connected to both the Order of Mata Nui and the Brotherhood of Makuta, the League included Pridak among its ranks, and its members collectively held several powers of unknown scope. Its stated objective was the overthrow of Mata Nui. formed, and Kalmah was strong enough to bargain over joining it rather than simply being absorbed. Beyond that, his life before the League is a blank. (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated)

After the Mahri Nui arc#

Hydraxon later captured Kalmah along with Ehlek, Pridak and Mantax, and Pridak accepted the Order of Mata Nui's offer for the Barraki to fight the Brotherhood. Fitted with breathing gear for land, Kalmah became the tactician for the Barraki army, though Pridak was moving before Kalmah had drafted a plan. With Mantax and Ehlek he went to Xia to offer the Shadowed One an alliance, trading what the Barraki knew about the virus prototype the Dark Hunter leader had found there. (Destiny War)

The alliance went ahead, and Kalmah rebuilt his legions, ready to strike at Metru Nui once the Shadowed One released his viruses against Teridax. Greg Farshtey later said online that Kalmah reached Spherus MagnaSpherus MagnaA desert world of ancient conflict that became the merger point of the Matoran Universe and Bionicle's true endpoint. and had his mutations reversed, but no story shows this. (Reign of Shadows)